ROK-U.S. News

Yonhap – S. Korea’s defense minister holds talks with U.S. Navy chief on regional security, alliance

October 28, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

By Song Sang-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook held talks with the visiting U.S. secretary of the Navy in Seoul on Thursday to discuss security on the Korean Peninsula, the bilateral alliance and other issues, his ministry said.

The talks between Suh and Secretary Carlos Del Toro came as Seoul and Washington seek to ensure their defense readiness, following a recent series of North Korean missile launches, and advance joint efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

During the meeting, Del Toro expressed expectation that the U.S. and South Korea will closely work together to ensure stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia and maintain the international order in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said.

The secretary also voiced hope that close cooperation between the Navies and Marine Corps of the two countries will help further develop the alliance.

Suh used the meeting to congratulate Del Toro on his inauguration in August and again express Seoul’s appreciation for Washington’s support for its mission earlier this year to evacuate nearly 400 Afghan co-workers and family members to South Korea.

Del Toro was in Seoul as part of his first overseas trip since he took office. The trip includes visits to Japan and other parts of the Indo-Pacific region.

South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook (L) and U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro pose for a photo as they meet for talks at the defense ministry in Seoul on Oct. 28, 2021, in this photo released by Suh’s office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211028006800325?section=national/defense

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Yonhap – Top security official says hard to predict another inter-Korean summit

October 27, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) — President Moon Jae-in’s security adviser said Tuesday it is difficult to predict whether another summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can take place, citing “many uncertainties.”

Suh Hoon, director of the National Security Office at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, amid speculation Moon is pushing for another inter-Korean summit to help salvage his drive for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

“We have just restored inter-Korean communication lines,” Suh said. “Due to many uncertainties, it is difficult to make a prediction.”

This file photo, released Dec. 16, 2020, by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, shows Suh Hoon, director of the National Security Office, presiding over a security meeting. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

He was referring to the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines earlier this month in what is seen as an initial, symbolic step for cross-border reconciliation.

Suh stressed the government would not push for a summit as a “political event,” as critics have said the Moon administration may be seeking to create a mood for peace ahead of the presidential election slated for March.

During the session, Suh said it is difficult to “conclusively” say whether North Korea can mount nuclear warheads on its short-range missiles amid security concerns triggered by a recent series of Pyongyang’s missile tests.

The top security official also stressed South Korea’s military has “sufficient” capabilities to respond to a series of new North Korean missiles under development.

The North has recently fired a series of missiles, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile earlier this month and a new hypersonic missile late last month — a show of force that raised questions of whether the South is ready to counter the evolving threats.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211026011300325?section=national/defense

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Yonhap – Ex-USFK chief stresses solidarity in S. Korea-U.S. alliance amid lingering N.K. threats

October 25, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) — Former U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) chief Curtis Scaparrotti has stressed the importance of solidarity between the militaries of South Korea and the United States in the face of continued North Korean threats, an organization dedicated to promoting the alliance said Saturday.

Scaparrotti, who led the USFK from 2013-2016, delivered a lecture on the long-standing alliance Friday, according to the Korea Chapter of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, as tensions resurfaced following the North’s recent test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

“The former commander said the South Korea-U.S. alliance is a linchpin for security and prosperity in Northeast Asia, and that it is very crucial to solidify the bond between the militaries of South Korea and the U.S. in order to strengthen the alliance,” the association said in a press release.

Scaparrotti also underscored that the defense posture of the allied forces should remain firm under any circumstances to deter war and safeguard peace on the Korean Peninsula, it added.

This photo, released by the Korea Chapter of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, shows former U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) chief Curtis Scaparrotti (L) and Lee Seo-young, president of the chapter, talking during a dinner gathering at a hotel in Seoul on Oct. 22, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211023001200325?section=national/defense

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Military Times – US urges North Korea to stop missile tests and return to talks

October 25, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

By Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, right, and South Korea’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk attend a briefing after their meeting at a hotel in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A senior U.S. diplomat on Sunday urged North Korea to refrain from additional missile tests and resume nuclear diplomacy, days after the North fired off its first underwater-launched ballistic missile in two years.

Sung Kim, the U.S. envoy on North Korea, spoke after meeting with South Korean officials to discuss North Korea’s recent missile tests while nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled.

“We call on the DPRK to cease these provocations and other destabilizing activities, and instead, engage in dialogue,” Kim told reporters, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“We remain ready to meet with the DPRK without preconditions and we have made clear that the United States harbors no hostile intent towards the DPRK,” he said.

Last Tuesday, North Korea fired a newly developed ballistic missile from a submarine in its fifth round of weapons tests in recent weeks.

South Korean officials said the submarine-fired missile appeared to be in an early stage of development. That marked the North’s first underwater-launched test since October 2019, and the most high-profile one since President Joe Biden took office in January.

Missiles fired from submarines are harder to detect in advance and would provide North Korea with a secondary, retaliatory attack capability.

Tuesday’s launch violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban any activity by North Korea in the area of ballistic missiles. Kim said the test poses a threat to the international community and is “concerning and counterproductive” to efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim’s South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, said the two had an “in-depth” discussion on Seoul’s push for a symbolic declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to bring peace. Noh said he and Kim also reaffirmed that North Korea’s issues of concern can be discussed once talks are restarted.

The U.S.-led talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear program have been largely stalled since early 2019, when a summit between then-President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un collapsed due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions on the North.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it’s ready to meet North Korea “anywhere and at any time” without preconditions. But North Korea says a return to talks is conditional on the U.S. dropping what it calls hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.

Before the submarine missile launch, North Korea had also tested several other new weapons systems over a six-week period, including its longest-range cruise missile and a hypersonic missile currently under development.

Those weapons potentially put U.S. allies South Korea and Japan within striking range. Some experts say North Korea may also in coming weeks test a missile that could reach the American homeland in order to maximize its pressure campaign on the United States.

Article: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2021/10/24/us-urges-north-korea-to-stop-missile-tests-and-return-to-talks/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2010.25.2021&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief

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KDVA Salutes General (Ret.) Colin Powell – 10.18.2021

October 20, 2021 Announcement, ROK-U.S. News

Download: KDVA Salutes General Colin Powell_20211018_Final

Yonhap – N. Korea fires what seems to be SLBM toward East Sea: S. Korea

October 19, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

By Song Sang-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) — North Korea fired what appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, in yet another setback to Seoul’s drive for peace with Pyongyang.

The short-range missile was launched from waters east of Sinpo, a city on the North’s east coast, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The launch was detected at 10:17 a.m., it said.

The missile traveled about 590 kilometers at a top altitude of around 60 km, an informed source said, noting the possibility that the North might have used a submarine as a launch platform this time.

The North previously conducted an SLBM test in 2015 and 2019. The South’s military believes that it used a barge rather than a submarine during the past tests.

Officials said that Tuesday’s launch came after South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities had detected signs of a possible weapons test near Sinpo, where the North has been pushing to build a 3,200-ton submarine capable of SLBM operations.

“The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are currently conducting a thorough analysis regarding additional details on the missile,” the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.

The North’s latest missile test marks its eighth known projectile launch this year. It previously fired a new hypersonic missile, called the Hwasong-8, on Sept. 28.

This file photo, released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, shows a missile launch. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command condemned the missile launch, calling on the North to refrain from “any further destabilizing acts.”

“While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or that of our allies, we will continue to monitor the situation,” the command said in a statement posted on its website.

“The U.S. commitment to the defense of the ROK and Japan remains ironclad,” it added, referring to South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

China called for concerned countries to exert “restraint,” saying the situation on the Korean Peninsula stands at a critical period.

“Each relevant country should think from a broad perspective, maintain restraint and make efforts to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told a regular press briefing.

North Korea watchers cited a possibility that a new, small-sized SLBM, capable of striking targets in the South or Japan, might have been fired from a 2,000-ton submarine on Tuesday. The North displayed a mini-SLBM at a defense exhibition in Pyongyang last week.

“If you look at the launch site and the missile details, the possibility is that it could be a new-type, small SLBM developed with an intention to attack vulnerable areas in the South, such as the rear and sides,” Shin Jong-woo, a senior analyst at the Korea Defense Security Forum, said.

In recent years, Pyongyang has boasted its development of various SLBMs, including the “Pukguksong-4ㅅ” and the “Pukguksong-5ㅅ,” which were unveiled during military parades in October last year and January, respectively.

The North has been pushing for the SLBM, which experts say would potentially serve as a key nuclear delivery vehicle designed to keep hostile forces at bay during wartime.

The launch came as the top nuclear envoys of the South, the U.S. and Japan are in Washington to discuss joint efforts to bring the North back to dialogue through humanitarian aid and other incentives.

Pyongyang’s continued saber-rattling tempered cautious optimism that has emerged since the reactivation of inter-Korean communication channels earlier this month.

In Washington on Tuesday, Seoul’s top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, plan to meet trilaterally to discuss a joint strategy on the North.

Shortly after the North’s presumed test of an SLBM, Noh and Kim held telephone talks and exchanged relevant information, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.

They will discuss plans to bring the North back to the negotiating table during the planned trilateral talks, according to the ministry.

On Monday, Noh and Kim met bilaterally and discussed President Moon Jae-in’s recent proposal for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, which Seoul believes is an effective measure to build confidence with Pyongyang.

The U.S. envoy plans to visit Seoul later this week to further discuss diplomacy toward the North.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211019002958325?section=nk/nk

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Yonhap – U.S. to host virtual meeting on countering ransomware attacks from N. Korea, others

October 13, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) — Officials from more than 30 countries, including South Korea, will discuss ways to counter ransomware attacks from countries, including Russia and North Korea, in a U.S.-led virtual meeting this week, a U.S. official said.

The virtual meeting, to be held Wednesday and Thursday, comes after a series of recent ransomware attacks on U.S. businesses and government offices from perpetrators believed to be based in other countries, including China, Russia and North Korea.

“While the United States is facilitating this meeting, we don’t view this solely as a U.S. initiative,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters in a telephone briefing Tuesday.

“Many governments have been indispensable in organizing the meeting, and four countries in particular have volunteered to lead and organize specific thematic discussions: India for resilience, Australia for disruption, the U.K. for virtual currency and Germany for diplomacy,” the official added.

The official said the two-day “counter ransomware initiative” meeting will discuss a wide range of issues, ranging from efforts to improve each country’s national resilience in cybersecurity to disrupting and prosecuting ransomware criminals.

It will also discuss North Korea’s malicious cyber activities, the official noted.

The official also explained North Korea was part of the reason for the emphasis on the four areas of discussion in the upcoming meeting.

“Because while we can work to try to shape actors — you know, as you’ve said, North Korea is famously difficult in that way — what we do control is ourselves,” the official said.

“So, we really are in our own way both saying we’re going to enforce these and work with partners around the world on that, as well as … leverage international cooperation to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem.”

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211013000900325?section=nk/nk

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Yonhap – Seoul, Washington analyzing weapons showcased at N. Korean defense show

October 12, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) — South Korea and the United States are analyzing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other weapons systems showcased at a defense exhibition hosted by Pyongyang, Seoul’s defense ministry said Tuesday.

The North opened the exhibition in Pyongyang with an assortment of military hardware on Monday to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, as leader Kim Jong-un has renewed calls to beef up the military.

“Intelligence authorities of South Korea and the U.S. are currently analyzing equipment displayed at the exhibition,” deputy ministry spokesperson Moon Hong-sik told a regular press briefing. “We will continue to thoroughly examine them.”

At the exhibition, the North displayed a number of weapons systems that it has developed in recent years. They include the Hwasong-16 ICBM and the hypersonic Hwasong-8 missile, according to the North’s state media.

On Tuesday, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim redoubled calls for strengthening Pyongyang’s military capabilities to counter what he calls “hostile forces.”

The North ratcheted up tensions with a series of missile tests last month, though cautious optimism for a cross-border thaw has emerged following the recent reactivation of inter-Korean communication lines.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (7th from R, front row) poses during a visit to a defense development exhibition, Self-Defence-2021, in Pyongyang on Oct. 11, 2021, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211012006900325?section=national/defense

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Yonhap – N.K. leader urges improvement in people’s living conditions on party’s founding anniversary

October 11, 2021 ROK-U.S. News

By Yi Won-ju

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the need to improve people’s living conditions, as he held a lecture to mark the 76th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers’ Party, state media said Monday.

He delivered the message during his “important” speech, titled, “Let us further improve party work in line with the demands of the period of fresh development of socialist construction,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim said the party has defined “the popular masses’ independence” as the essence of the socialist construction and urged officials to serve the people like “God,” it added.

He then emphasized that the party remains determined to efficiently push ahead with the five-year national economy plan set forth at the party congress in January and called on officials to solve people’s food and housing problems.

Kim also told party officials to “always consider whether their work infringe upon the interests of the people or cause trouble to the people.” Kim made no mention of inter-Korean ties and the United States.

This marks the first time Kim has delivered a speech on the party’s founding anniversary since he took power in late 2011.

Kim “brought to light the brilliant achievements made in our Party building for the last ten years,” the KCNA said.

Observers say the rare speech appears aimed at tightening internal unity in the face of the deepening economic fallout caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

North Korea marked the 76th founding anniversary of its ruling party Sunday without a military parade or any other provocative show of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at a lecture to commemorate the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party on Oct. 10, 2021, in this photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211011000351325?section=nk/nk

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